The new bamboo train service now operates on a four-kilometre stretch of line linking Phnom Banan Angkor temple and the township of Chhoeuteal. Bamboo train tour company agent Soy Bora says tourists riding the small trains will enjoy the unique vistas surrounding Phnom Banan.
He carried on by saying there were six trucks available to take tourists to Phnom Banan. The trains themselves are little more than a bamboo platform mounted on a bogey and an engine. Local media sources say fares for Cambodians are KHR10,000 while international tourists have to pay a surcharge.
The original bamboo trains were born out of necessity and provided a link to transport goods and people. 12GO ASIA notes that Phnom Penh to Battambang trains only ran once weekly in each direction for a number of years before the service was discontinued altogether in 2009. The line was not used for anything else other than bamboo trains.
Royal Railways has now taken over Cambodia’s two-line rail network. Limited services on the line between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville have already been launched. The Phnom Penh to Battambang and Poipet line is being renovated and tracks relaid in places where they were torn up.
Battambang bamboo train service gets a new lease of life
News in Asia
New Year’s Eve saw the rebirth of Cambodia’s renowned bamboo train service. After shutting down to make way for real trains a few months ago, a section of tracks has been shifted to a site 20kms from the original ones in Battambang.